Device for storing sheet material

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the storage of sheet material, in particular documents of value such as bank notes and the like, for example for the use in a bank note processing apparatus. In the apparatus according to the invention for the storage of sheet material, in particular documents of value such as bank notes and the like, with a transport device which consists of two foils, and a winding reel with a reel core which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis, wherein the apparatus is arranged to wind up the transport device onto the winding reel so as to enclose thereby sheet material between the two foils of the transport device and to wind up and store said sheet material on the winding reel, wherein the two foils of the transport device are wound up on top of each other on a single dispenser reel having a reel core, which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis, and can be wound off the dispenser reel, and a unit for a length compensation between first foil and second foil, which compensates a length difference resulting from winding off the two foils from the dispenser reel and the subsequent winding up of the two foils with the sheet material optionally enclosed in between.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the storage of sheet material, in particular documents of value such as bank notes and the like, for example for the use in a bank note processing apparatus.

Documents of value within the meaning of the present invention are such sheet-shaped documents which have material and/or non-material value attached thereto, such as for example bank notes, checks, admission tickets, public transport tickets, vouchers, deeds and the like.

For the handling of sheet material there are employed devices in the form of foil winding storage devices which deposit sheet material on reels. Such a foil winding storage device is known for example from DE 199 61 075 A1. It has two foil belts each wound up on a dispenser reel, which both via a deflection roll arrangement are laid on top of each other and wound up together on a winding reel. While the foils being laid on top of each other, for example bank notes can be fed in between the foil belts, so that these, together with the foil belts, can be wound up and stored on the winding reel.

Such a foil winding storage device has a relatively large installation space, which is given by the several reels. Moreover, for every reel there is to be provided a drive.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a compact and, preferably, simply structured apparatus for the storage of sheet material.

This object is achieved by an apparatus having the features of the independent claim. In claims dependent thereon there are stated advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention.

In the apparatus according to the invention for the storage of sheet material, in particular documents of value such as bank notes and the like, with a transport device which consists of two foils, and a winding reel with a reel core which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis, wherein the apparatus is arranged to wind up the transport device onto the winding reel so as to enclose thereby sheet material between the two foils of the transport device and to wind up and store said sheet material on the winding reel, wherein the two foils of the transport device are wound up on top of each other onto a single dispenser reel having a reel core, which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis, and can be wound off the dispenser reel, and a unit for a length compensation between first foil and second foil, which compensates a length difference resulting from winding off the two foils from the dispenser reel and the subsequent winding up of the two foils with the sheet material optionally enclosed in between.

A compact structure of the apparatus can be achieved thereby, because only one single dispenser reel is required for the two foils forming the transport device. Thus, the effort for the realization is lower, e.g. for the drives or motors required for the dispenser reels. This is achieved by the length compensation which is carried out for one of the foils that are wound up together onto the single dispenser reel, whereby a secure storage function for sheet material is ensured.

Further features and advantages of the invention appear from the following description of various embodiments according to the invention in connection with the accompanying Figures.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

In FIG. 1 a first embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention is schematically shown.

The apparatus has a dispenser reel 20 with a reel core 20′ which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis. On the dispenser reel 20 there is provided a transport device F1, F2 which consists of two foils. The transport device F1, F2 can be wound off the dispenser reel 20 and is guided over a deflection device 11, 22 to 27. The deflection device 11, 22 to 27 consists of deflection rollers 11, 22 to 27 which are mounted to be rotatable around axes.

After the deflection the transport device F1, F2 is wound up onto a reel core 21′, which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis and can be driven, so that sheet material BN fed from outside between the deflection rollers 23, 27 is actively transported into the apparatus. The two foils forming the transport device F1, F2 and possibly fed sheet material BN are wound onto the reel core 21′ and form a winding reel 21. So as to facilitate the feeding of sheet material the apparatus may have guide plates that are positioned to each other such that an input slot for the sheet material is formed thereby.

During the feed of sheet material BN the dispenser reel 20, due to the winding off of the transport device F1, F2, is rotated counterclockwise. Thus, the diameter of the dispenser reel 20 is reduced. On the other hand, the diameter of the winding reel 21, which is driven clockwise, increases correspondingly. Since the diameter of the dispenser reel 20 compared to the diameter of the winding reel 21 changes during the operation, the rotational speed of the respective reel also changes correspondingly, so that the speed of a drive or motor driving the reel core 21′ is controlled respectively in order to ensure a constant speed of the transport device F1, F2.

If the sheet material BN which is in the winding reel 21 retained and stored between the two foils by transport device F1, F2 is to be made available externally of the apparatus, the dispenser reel 20 or the reel core 20′ carrying it can be driven clockwise by means of a drive or motor. In this case the winding reel 21 is rotated by the transport device F1, F2 counterclockwise, so that the sheet material BN held between the foils F1, F2 appears at the exit of the apparatus between the deflection rollers 23, 27. If single pieces of sheet material BN were stored in the winding reel 21, these are again available as single pieces upon the winding off and can be taken over by a transport system adjoining the apparatus. Upon the output of the sheet material there can also be used the above-described or additional guide plates, e.g. to ensure that the sheet material BN is reliably detached from the transport device F1, F2.

Upon the winding up of the foils forming the transport device F1, F2 and of the sheet material BN onto the winding reel 21 there arises a length difference for the two foils F1, F2. The second foil F2 lying inside on the winding reel 21 here has a shorter length than the outside-lying first foil F1. This length difference results from the thickness of the foil used and from the thickness and quantity of the sheet material BN stored between the foils F1, F2. If one starts out, for example, from an average diameter of the winding reel of 60 mm, a foil thickness of 0.1 mm, a sheet material thickness of 0.1 mm and from the gapless storage of 100 single pieces of sheet material having a length of 200 mm, the result will be a length difference of approx. 50 mm.

The two foils forming the transport device F1, F2, moreover, are wound up on top of each other onto the dispenser reel 20, so that upon winding off the foils F1, F2 there also arises a length difference between the two foils F1, F2. The first foil F1 lying outside on the dispenser reel 20 here is slightly longer per revolution of the dispenser reel 20 than the inside-lying second foil F2. In this way the length difference described above for the winding reel 21 is partially compensated. Since, however, on the dispenser reel 20 there is no sheet material between the foils F1, F2 and since the average diameter of the dispenser reel 20, normally, is smaller than the average diameter of the winding reel 21, there remains a length difference between first foil F1 and second foil F2.

In the known apparatus described at the outset having two dispenser reels whereon only one of the foils is wound up in each case, this length difference can simply be compensated by different rotational speeds of the two dispenser reels. If, however, only one dispenser reel 20 is used whereon the two foils F1, F2 are wound up, the occuring length difference leads to problems upon the formation of the winding on the winding reel 21, because, as described above, during the operation an excess length of the second foil F2 arises.

For compensating the arising length difference, the apparatus has a unit for a length compensation 10, 11, 24, 25. The unit for the length compensation 10, 11, 24, 25 can be formed by a deflection roller 11 which is mounted to be movable along a guide 10. The second foil F2 is coiled around the deflection roller 11. Additionally, there is carried out a deflection via the deflection rollers 24, 24. The deflection roller 11 acts with a force, which may be produced e.g. by a spring, against the second foil F2. Thus, the length difference of the second foil F2 is compensated by the deflection roller 11 which for this purpose moves along the guide 10 in a first direction 12. If the length difference is reduced, e.g. when the winding reel 21 is wound off, the deflection roller 11 is moved by the tensile force of the second foil F2, in this case driven by the dispenser reel 20, in the guide 10 in a direction opposite to the first direction 12.

In the above-described case of a length difference of approx. 50 mm, for the guide 10, thus, at least a length of 25 mm is to be provided, because in the area of the unit for the length compensation the second foil F2 has, due to the deflection roller 11, double the length of the guide 10. For safety reasons, however, the length of the guide 10 should always be dimensioned somewhat greater, since deviations may occur. If, for example, heavily worn-out sheet material is fed into the apparatus, for the thickness of this sheet material there may arise a greater value compared to new sheet material. With the values stated above by way of example for the dimensions of the apparatus' components and of the sheet material to be processed therewith, for example 200 pieces of sheet material can be reliably processed, i.e. can be retained in the winding reel 21, when the length of the guide 10 amounts to 75 mm.

In FIG. 2 there is schematically represented a second embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention.

The second embodiment substantially corresponds to the first embodiment represented in FIG. 1. The substantial difference between first and second embodiment is that the transport device F1, F2 or the foils forming the transport device wound up onto the dispenser reel 20 are wound up in reverse order onto the winding reel 21.

The first foil F1 lying outside on the dispenser reel 20 via the unit for the length compensation 10, 11, 24, 25 and the deflection rollers 26, 27 is wound up as inside-lying foil onto the winding reel 21. Whereas the inside-lying second foil F2 via the deflection rollers 22, 23 is wound up as outside-lying foil onto the winding reel 21.

For this purpose, the above-described directions of rotation of the dispenser reel 20 are used in the opposite direction in each case.

Due to the length differences occuring in connection with the first embodiment of the apparatus described in FIG. 1, according to which the outside-lying first foil F1 upon the winding off from the dispenser reel 20 has a greater length than the inside-lying second foil F2, the length difference occuring between first and second foil F1 and F2 is still enlarged. Therefore, for the guide 10 of the unit for the length compensation there is also required a greater length. For this reason, the first embodiment is preferred, because said embodiment can effect the required length compensation between first and second foil F1 and F2 with a smaller length of the guide 10 of the unit for the length compensation.

The reel cores 20′ and 21′ of dispenser reel 20 and winding reel 21 each may be driven, for example, with a stepper motor, which are connected with the axes of the reel cores 20′ and 21′. So as to ensure at any time during the accepting or dispensing of sheet material out of the apparatus, that the foils of the transport device F1, F2 are sufficiently strained, it can be provided that always one of the motors is driven, while the respective other motor generates a slight brake force. The brake force can be generated for example by a voltage being applied to the stepper motor that generates the brake force, the stepper motor, however, not being pulsed.

In the described embodiments, for the transport device F1, F2 there are used foils, e.g. thin plastic foils, which for example have a thickness of 0.1 mm.

In the above-described embodiments it was assumed that the sheet material BN to be processed is fed into the apparatus and wound up onto the winding reel 21 parallel to its long edges. But it is obvious that the sheet material can also be fed into the apparatus and wound up onto the winding reel 21 parallel to its short edges. In this case for example the length of the guide 10 of the unit for the length compensation is reduced, because the winding up of an equal quantity of equally sized sheet material can be effected with less transport device F1, F2. 

1-8. (canceled)
 9. Apparatus for the storage of sheet material comprising; a transport device comprising two foils; a winding reel with a reel core which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis; wherein the apparatus is arranged to wind up the transport device onto the winding reel so as to enclose thereby sheet material between the two foils of the transport device and to wind up and store said sheet material on the winding reel; said two foils of the transport device being wound up on top of each other onto a single dispenser reel having a reel core, which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis, and which can be wound off the dispenser reel; a length compensation unit between first foil and second foil, which compensates for any length difference resulting from winding off the two foils from the dispenser reel and the subsequent winding up of the two foils with and/or without the sheet material enclosed in between the foils.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the length compensation unit includes a deflection roller which is guided to be movable along a guide, and wherein the deflection roller is moved along the guide in a first direction so as to compensate for any length difference occurring between the two foils.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the deflection roller is biased by a spring so as to effect the compensation for the length difference.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the transport device is arranged to be wound off the winding storage device so as to release sheet material enclosed and stored between the foils, wherein the transport device wound off the winding reel is wound up onto the single dispenser reel and the two foils are wound up on top of each other, and the length compensation unit compensates for length differences between the two foils.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the length compensation unit compensates for length differences between the two foils by a movement of the deflection roller along the guide in a direction opposite to the first direction.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the dispenser reel and the winding reel are driven.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the dispenser reel and the winding reel each are driven by a separate motor.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein one of the motors drives the dispenser reel or the winding reel, respectively, whereas the respective other motor produces a brake force. 